<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Ghost Kid by DiaTheDismal</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27250759">Ghost Kid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiaTheDismal/pseuds/DiaTheDismal'>DiaTheDismal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Found Family, Magic, beloved childhood superheroes (to be added), secret alter ego/identity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27250759</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiaTheDismal/pseuds/DiaTheDismal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if every phannie in the world suddenly teleported to one place? In this unlucky alternate universe, Daphne Evans learns the answer. --I appear dormant but I'm still working on this. Going to be starting over at some point in the future lol.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daphne Evans/Original Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Doll House</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Why can’t they see, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That when we bleed, we bleed the same, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I can’t get it right, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Since I met you, </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Muse is blaring in Daph’s ears when she hears Mrs. Berna call for her class’s attention.</p><p>“Okay!” She yells, though Daph can barely hear it.</p><p><em> The volume’s probably not healthy, </em> she thinks to herself. She puts her earbuds in her coat pocket and looks up at her French teacher. Mrs. Berna leans to stand on her toes then leans back into the ground. Up and down. Two times.</p><p><em> Well </em>she's <em>especially bouncy today, </em>Daph observers. Mrs. Berna’s eyes are beaming at her class through her yellow-rimmed glasses. Daph knows there’s a broad smile underneath her mask.</p><p>“The quarter’s over on Friday next week,” Mrs. Berna begins. “And don’t worry, we aren’t going to cover any new material until then.”</p><p>--Ugh. Daph has already heard this and at least two other times before. The rest of the class seems to sink into their chairs as Mrs. Berna continues to drone on.</p><p>“The end of quarter exam is due on Wednesday next week. That's also the cut off for any other missing assignments.”</p><p>Daph opens a new tab on her school laptop.</p><p>“--but you all can start taking it on Monday.”</p><p>She pulls up Twitter and starts scrolling. It’s only a few seconds before she sees something that makes her smile.</p><p>“--to help you guys do your best, I’ve enlisted help from the Juniors!”</p><p>It’s an edit of one of her idols, Phil Lester. After watching the images flash by for a few seconds, Daph feels judgemental eyes burning into the back of her skull. She allows herself to watch for a few more seconds before she scrolls past it, unfinished, and never to see it again. The same feeling arrives every time she scrolls to an image of Dan Howell and/or Phil Lester.</p><p>“--I’ve made groups of three or four, and there’ll be one Junior in each! They will tutor you, and make sure you can pronounce the words and structure your grammar correctly.”</p><p>Daph itches to grab her phone. She’d be much more inconspicuous if she used a smaller device. Right now, she feels like she’s holding up a huge neon sign that says, “LOOK AT ME! I’M AN OBSESSIVE STALKER!” --Which is true when she thinks about it, but she nonetheless hates the sign. It paints her as inhuman and ignorant to boundaries, but this makes her feel <em>more</em> human, <em>more</em> educated.</p><p>So, she speeds past most images and sticks to tweets with just words wherever possible. There will be other times to look at photos.</p><p>“--they’re waiting in the hall. Let me go grab them.” Mrs. Brena’s brown dress swishes behind her as she trots down the middle aisle to open the door. “Come in!”</p><p>Daph waits until the last second to close the tab and turn. The Juniors walk in slowly and stand in a clump at the door. They’re dead silent and some shift on their feet nervously.</p><p><em> Ha! </em> Daph thinks, <em> I wonder what she promised them…  </em></p><p>Mrs. Berna doesn’t miss a beat. “Oh, just file in along the window,” She gestures at the not-so-lovely view of the brick wall outside. “And put some space between yourselves. We want to be as responsible as we can.”</p><p>Now at the front of the classroom, the French teacher waits. All the Juniors shuffle slowly. Delaying the moment as though they would rather be anywhere else.</p><p>All but one.</p><p>She’s the last to get in line, but she stands straight and walks with purpose. The murky fog that settled in the room and in Daph's bones doesn't seem to affect this Junior.</p><p>Daph’s eyes follow this girl’s movements with curiosity. It’s 7 in the morning <em> and </em> a Monday, yet she’s more awake than everyone in the room. (Except for maybe Mrs. Berna who seems to bounce around just fine every <em> single </em> day --it’s mildly annoying, but it’s also endearing in that she’s like a puppy.)</p><p>The girl crosses her arms and leans against the windowsill. Daph notices the light that catches around her hair. It’s short and black like Daph’s, but it looks red-brown in some places. Her’s is slightly wavy whereas Daph’s is straight. She’s wearing black jeans and a white top with blue poke-a-dots and frilly shoulders. The material is thin, yet it catches the sunlight and appears as though it glows. It looks so soft, Daph has a strange desire to walk over and smooth the ruffles.</p><p>Daph tears her eyes away. <em> Stop being weird. You don’t know her. You can’t even see her face properly. </em></p><p>“Okay! Just a few more details!” Mrs. Berna announces. Daph studies the grey carpet while her teacher repeats the steps of the study-guide-partner-project-thing. Then, as if she was trying to escape her own notice, Daph finds herself studying the carpet the Juniors are standing on.</p><p>In her studies, Daph learns the girl’s socks are colorful and mismatched.</p><p>“Ha.” Daph laughs at herself softly. <em> Why does everything remind me of Dan and Phil? </em> Daph represses the warm giggles tickling her throat as her thoughts fill with images of blue eyes and a dorky smile. For once, she’s thankful for the mask she’s wearing.</p><p>If this girl was a phannie, would she be more of a dannie or phillie? Daph places her bet on the ladder. Though she doesn’t know much about her yet… Maybe she will get the chance to gather more of her personality. Could she end up in this girl’s group? She sure as hell wouldn't have the courage to talk to her otherwise. How do you just walk up to a stranger? Also, what if she <em> is </em>a phannie? It would be so awesome to be friends with someone in real life who loves Dan and Phil. It would be a little less lonely.</p><p>Though that’s not fair. Daph has loads of phannie friends on Twitter, and she loves them. She doesn’t feel <em> that </em> lonely. They’re all sitting in her pocket whenever she needs them. But that’s just the thing, they’re on the internet. Daph will likely never get to meet them. The growing warmth in her heart cools a little at the thought. She stares out the window at the brick wall bathed in grey light, wistfully fantasizing about running into a friend at the store or some other impossible event. (Impossible seeing as many live in entirely different countries.)</p><p>Her hopeful flame flickers, unstable.</p><p>The cute girl sitting on the windowsill probably isn’t a phannie. Miss-matched socks don’t mean anything.</p><p>She still seems cool though… maybe they could be friends?</p><p>---</p><p>Daph is doodling, lost in her thoughts and the chatter around her. At some point, she realizes Mrs. Berna is finally listing names. Daph sits up and looks around for the mysterious Junior and finds her already in a group.</p><p>Daph lets out a sigh, <em> Oh well, </em> and gets back to doodling while she waits for her name to be called.</p><p>A moment passes, and everything falls silent. Daph pauses as she takes notice of the strange silence. Deciding nothing of it, she goes back to doodling. It isn’t until several seconds of lifeless silence passes that she feels the skin at the back of her neck prickle. Her pen stills, and she looks up.</p><p>It’s the strangest thing --trying to lift her head-- because now it feels heavy. Her head gets heavier, and heavier, and heavier. She could fall forward and give up, but then she’d be pinned down and trapped. Chilling panic shoots through her veins like a bolt of lightning. It sets her nerves and joints on fire. Then she’s staring open-mouthed at her surroundings and almost wishing she didn’t look up.</p><p>Mrs. Berna is standing on her toes, as she often does, but she doesn’t lean back to her heels. Her eyes are wide open, unblinking. The kid in front of Daph is reaching in his bag but not rummaging around or pulling anything out. Just reaching forever. Other people are paused in their conversations. Hands in the air, smiling eyes, but no <em>real </em>life to them.</p><p>Daph gets the overwhelming feeling that she’s stuck in a dollhouse, surrounded by plastic. Or a picture stuck in a frame. Stuck in one moment, forever.</p><p>Then, like a miracle, Daph notices one sign of life. One small movement she almost missed.</p><p>A blink?</p><p>The Junior across the room blinked. She’s looking at Daph --and Daph is looking back.</p><p>Daph isn’t sure if she imagined it, so she blinks at the girl. <em> I’m alive, are you? </em> Daph tries to communicate with her eyes.</p><p>The girl blinks back.</p><p>Relief floods through Daph. They keep staring at each other, trading blinks. Daph instantly wishes she knew morse code or something else useful. She wants to open her mouth to say something (probably very dumb like asking what's happening, even if it's not like the Junior will have an answer), but she can't move. They don’t stop staring, even when the world turns white and Daph can’t focus on her anymore. She stares on and on into an empty, bleached abyss. <em>Maybe this is because of the lack of oxygen to my brain?</em> Daph wonders. Then suddenly, the world goes black.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That was ~~spooky~~</p><p>Thanks for reading,<br/>Dia<br/>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Faded and Forgotten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNINGS (in order):<br/>- Death joke<br/>- Vomit</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything stays black.</p><p>Daph’s eyes search through the darkness. She can feel her eye muscles move, which is a relief. She can still <em>feel </em>something. So then she tries to move her arm, but nothing happens. She tries her legs, nothing. Her head? Nada. Only her eyes move, which is the most useless thing ever. She’s not even sure if she’s breathing.</p><p>
  <em> Ha. Ha. Being dead is so much fun. </em>
</p><p>She instantly regrets the dark joke. She can’t actually be dead, right? She can’t actually be stuck like this? Daph doesn’t want to be a pair of eyes floating forever in a void. <em> Alone.</em> That’s the worst part of it. Just picturing that reality is enough for adrenaline to take over.</p><p><em> I’m so stuck, </em> --and there isn’t anything she can do about it.</p><p>
  <em> “You are never trapped. There is always hope. You just need to believe in yourself and get to the other side.” </em>
</p><p>There were many times in this past year of Daph’s life when it felt like those words saved her. Even if it was just school work she was stressed about, she said them in her mind over and over. She would hear his voice, saying those words, as though it was a lullaby or nursery rhyme she’s known all her life.</p><p><em> “Get to the other side.” </em> Daph thinks again. <em> “Always hope.” </em></p><p>She wishes she could breathe deeply to slow her pulse. <em> Happy thoughts. </em> --No, not quite happy. There’s nothing really <em>happy </em>in this situation. So perhaps <em>neutral thoughts </em>would be more suited.</p><p>
  <em> Neutral thoughts. </em>
</p><p>---</p><p>She thinks of her sister, but everything about her seems different. She’s sitting on the bottom bunk in their old bedroom. Her hair is closer to brown than the black it was when Daph saw her this morning. She also has a baby-ish roundness to her face that Daph hasn’t seen in years. Her sister giggles hysterically and falls back with a pen in her hand. Daph hears another voice laughing, her own.</p><p>“I’ve got an idea, <em> h-pad. </em>” Anya says with a lot of emphases, then giggles. She flies out of the room, leaving Daph behind. Daph chuckles to herself and turns back to their small table. A paper lies on it with Anya’s handwriting that reads “A-N-Y-A” and “D-A-P-H”, then below it, “A-Y-N-A” and “H-P-A-D”.</p><p>Now Daph recognizes this memory.</p><p>Past-Daph walks out of the room, curious. She wanders into the small, warmly lit living room to find her little sister on the floor in front of the loud TV. She’s cutting paper into little “h”s, and behind her are various Apple devices from around the apartment. She tapes an “h” over the logo of an old ipod --Present-Daph hasn’t seen that in a <em> long </em>time.</p><p>Daph collapses onto the couch and turns towards the TV when Anya and yells, “Catch, <em> h-pad.” </em> Only, Daph doesn’t catch it. The skinny little thing slips out of her grip and onto her lap. Anya laughs at her but Daph just rolls her eyes light-heartedly and turns back to the TV.</p><p>She’s watching for a few seconds when Present-Daph feels a spark of familiarity. The characters and voices prod at the back of her brain until it opens up. Waves of nostalgia and forgotten love pour from this abandoned part of her.</p><p>She recognizes the simple art style and remembers being able to mimic it. She thinks back to the hours spent sketching the characters and ghosts. Particularly the <em> cute </em> main character who was both, <em> and </em> who Daph can’t remember the name of right now. She hung the art up in their room and each time she walked in, she beamed at it. She recalls the praise she received from her mom and dad, and it warms her.</p><p><em> Haha I’ve always been a fangirl, </em> Present-Daph thinks fondly.</p><p>Now, what was the name of the show…?</p><p>“Sam, Tucker, cover me. I’m going ghost!” The main character says. A circle of white appears around him at his middle, then splits. One going up, the other down. His clothes are replaced by his ghost outfit, his blue eyes change to radioactive green, and his black hair turns white. He then flies away to battle the ghost that’s threatening the safety of his friends.</p><p>“Be careful, Danny!” Sam yells.</p><p>
  <em> Danny… Oh, that’s right! The name of the show is-- </em>
</p><p>Abruptly, a strange feeling pulls Daph back to the present. To the darkness.</p><p>It’s just that, a pull. Like each of her atoms are slowly being sucked into a vacuum. With a start, she realizes she can feel more. She wiggles her toes and fingers. She breathes.</p><p>She breathes again.</p><p>
  <em> Oxygen… Oh sweet oxygen. </em>
</p><p>Tug. Another tug. It’s painful, and it makes her nauseated. There’s another yank, only it keeps pulling.</p><p>She screams as she falls.</p><p>Without warning, light floods in all around her. It burns, and she squeezes her eyes shut. Then her body hits the floor, or rather, earth and the impact steals her breath. She lifts her face from the dry dirt and attempts to spit it out. Her weak arms try desperately to push her off the ground. <em> Up... Air... </em>but when she regains her breath, she coughs violently and falls to her side. Followed by another, then another. Each one tears the skin in her throat. It has so much force, she thinks whole organs will come out of her mouth.</p><p>She brings her hand to her face to rip her mask off, but she’s too late. This morning’s small breakfast shoots up her damaged throat and catches in the black fabric around her mouth. She falls forward.</p><p>She does manage to yank the mask off as her body heaves. She keeps retching even when she’s empty.</p><p>“Fuck,” Daph groans. She rolls onto her back and wipes at the skin of her mouth and neck with a sleeve. The other throws an arm over her eyes. She’s shaking and when the cold October wind blows, she can feel the trails of wet tears on her face. It’s strangely soothing. She decides she wants to just breathe and feel the wind.</p><p>She never gets the chance.</p><p>Not a moment later, she hears other people coughing. Fear forces Daph’s eyes open. People --a <em> lot </em> of people-- lay on parched plants writhing as far as she can see. Granted, it’s not that much. She and several others are at the bottom of a dip between a small yellow hill and tall mountains that surround the edge of her vision. A little valley within a gigantic one. People are probably also at the top of the little dip and beyond it.</p><p>When Daph gets up, her legs are wobbly noodles and she nearly falls over. She concentrates on taking one step at a time up the little hill. Each one puts more feeling into her usually strong running legs. Coughing sounds grow more distinct and as she reaches the top. </p><p>“Ahh,” Someone sobs. Daph’s eyes drift down to the source. The person, (presumably a woman? It’s not especially clear. They’ve got short, curly hair, but also curves. Daph won’t presume this time around) is lying with their face near the ground like everyone else. They freeze for a moment, cough, and move some bangs away. Before Daph has the chance to see or hear anything, she averts her eyes and plugs her ears. The sight or sound of puke always made Daph want to vomit herself, and she’s done enough of that in the last few minutes.</p><p>When Daph finally unplugs her ears and turns back, the person is looking at her. They’re older than her, definitely by a few years. They look nervous and guilty.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” they say. They’re resting on their elbows, visibly shaking and breathing heavily.</p><p>Daph smiles, wanting to put them at ease. “Don’t be sorry. I was puking my guts out too.”</p><p>They smile back.</p><p>A few seconds pass, and Daph doesn’t know where to put her eyes. She gazes at the ground and pretty much everywhere but the person in front of her. Finally, Daph asks, “What’s your name?”</p><p>After a pause, they seem to consider something. “American?” They say.</p><p>“...wut?” Daph asks in a low tone that mimics Dan and Phil. She scolds herself for developing the dumb habit in the first place. <em> It’s not cute. You’ll just expose yourself as a dork. </em> “Wait, ‘American’? Your name is ‘American’?”</p><p>The older person blushes and laughs, “Sorry, I meant to ask if you’re American?” That time Daph notices their British accent, and she curses Dan and Phil for desensitizing it for her.</p><p>“Oh!” Daph laughs. “Yeah. Are you British?”</p><p>They chuckle, “Yes.”</p><p>Daph takes the time to actually look around at the scenery and gapes at the sheer number of people she sees. Thousands, probably more, begin to stand and mill around. She’s unsure if she should venture out there and learn what’s happening. Could any of these people know? All of them are fairly young, no older than 35, if she had to guess. They look to be from all over the world, but they mostly women? At least the people directly around her are.</p><p><em> What’s going on here? </em> She wants to know but doesn't want to be rude and leave this person she’s kinda having a conversation with.</p><p>“I wonder-” Daph starts.</p><p>“Ugh, sor-” the person sighs at the same time.</p><p>They look at each other and Daph giggles. “You go first.”</p><p>The person smiles at the ground then looks up at her, “Sorry I’m so awkward. My name’s Evan.”</p><p>Daph grins at them. If there’s something she can relate to, it’s awkwardness. “Hi Evan, I’m Daphne.” She holds her hand out and winks. Evan grins back and shakes Daph’s hand. “Or Daph, I guess. Yeah, most people call me Daph,” She says as she tightens her grip and helps them off the ground.</p><p>“Hi, Daph,” Evan says once they’re standing. Daph has to look up now to make eye contact.</p><p>She has a question she wants to ask. A pretty controversial question, too. She’s afraid to offend this person, but she needs to know. “Hey um-- what are your pronouns?”</p><p>They laugh and smile, “Love that you’re normalizing that. She/Her is fine,”</p><p>“Oh, okay. Cool,” Daph says, relieved. Then after a pause, “Yeah I’m she/her too.”</p><p>They smile at each other. “Good to know,” Evan says. Her gaze shifts away from Daph and seems to rake through the people that stand among the desaturated colors.</p><p>“Holy…” She rotates, and when her sights fall on Daph again, it focuses. “Sorry, what were you going to say earlier?”</p><p>“Hmm? Oh, I was just wondering what the fuck we’re doing here.” Daph answers.</p><p>Evan barks out a laugh, “Yeah. Like, what’s my British arse doing talking to an American right now? I was just talking with my mum about uni--” she stops and makes eye contact with Daph, “You’re alright with me swearing, right?”</p><p>“Did I not just drop an “f” bomb?” Daph raises an eyebrow.</p><p>Evan rolls her eyes, “Right, but you just look so <em> young. </em> How old are you?”</p><p>The statement surprises her. She’s not used to being called “young”. She knows she is, but it’s not like she walks around thinking <em> I’m young. </em> A lot of her existence is through the internet where she is only her words, not her age, or gender, or anything. She truly is a formless blob on Twitter. The thought makes her laugh inside. “I’m 16, that’s not <em> that </em> young.”</p><p>“Ah, to be 16,” Evan looks up at the cloudy sky wistfully.</p><p>Daph frowns for a moment, but then lets out her breath, “How old are you, anyway?”</p><p>“I’m 21,” Evan says.</p><p>Daph nods, only partly interested, and looks out at the people milling about. She hears a low hum of thousands of voices bouncing around and off the mountains. With every second it seems to grow exponentially.</p><p>“It’s like we’re in a real-life video game lobby,” a different voice with a French accent says.</p><p>Daph lets out a surprised laugh (which comes out way too high-pitched for her liking) and spins around to find the source. She’s met with a crooked grin of a lanky girl sitting on the ground. She’s maybe around Daph’s age, but older by a year or so.</p><p>She gets up, and sweeps dirt off her pastel yellow dress then holds out a hand, “Hi, I’m Bennie.” Other than the bright blue eyes that shine gently at Daph, she’s all soft colors. Long blonde hair that rests gently around her like a curtain, rosy cheeks, yellow eyeshadow, and skin that glows.</p><p>A small blush escapes onto Daph’s cheeks as she takes her hand. She’s suddenly very conscious of the dirt on her clothes and her terrible breath. “Hi, I’m Daphne-- uh, Daph.” She is really having a difficult time introducing herself today.</p><p>Bennie smiles.</p><p>“Yeah what the hell is happening?” Another new voice asks. The first she’s heard yet that’s male.</p><p>“I don’t know…” Evan says, “Hey is anybody’s phone working?”</p><p>The question pierces a fog in Daph’s brain. Initial shock and confusion she felt seeps into the ground, gone. In its place is a spark of hope that begs for progress. She reaches for her back pocket with growing anticipation. She can figure out what’s going on, where she is, and go home.</p><p>Her phone <em> is </em> there in her back pocket, and she looks at the lock screen now. No reception, no wifi. She shoots her mom a text, <em> “Hello?” </em></p><p>
  <b>Sending. . . </b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading,<br/>Dia<br/>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Finding Your Tribe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, hello!<br/>It's 9:54 p.m. right now, and I'm stressed about a Math test I've got tomorrow. I don't feel ready so I'm like, "Eeek!" you know?<br/></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Nope, nothing,” Daph says. Her gaze returns to the group of strangers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no reception,” Bennie says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” The newest guy stands tall in an all-black outfit a few feet away. “Not even Google Maps! Look at this,” Daph is looking at him, so he turns his screen to her first. It’s blank for all but some light blue letters. She has to lean closer to catch a glimpse.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Location not found.</b>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me see,” Bennie walks over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah-woah-woah,” he holds up a hand. “2 meters, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Meters”? But he sounds American…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She stops in her tracks. “Oh right,” she laughs nervously, “Sorry…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm-hmm.” The Hispanic man just looks at her with unimpressed eyes as she backs away. His attention returns to his phone, where he fiddles with it. He’s tall and bulky. Daph notices that he towers above the group by at least a foot, definitely more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, yeah, that is really weird,” Bennie states. “GPS doesn’t use the internet or reception. It’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>satellite</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it should be working. I’ll check my phone…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next to her, Evan takes an unsteady breath. Daph turns. Evan’s chewing on her lip as she stares at her phone. It visibly shakes in her trembling hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph frowns, “Evan, are you alright?” She says it quietly so as not to draw attention while Bennie and the man chatter about this app working and that app not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan looks at her, and Daph sees stormy clouds of panic gathering in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph softens, “Hey, everything is going to be okay, alright?” She places a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clouds seem to lessen a little, but she doesn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright?” Daph shakes her shoulder gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Evan nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph smiles at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind her, Bennie says, “My camera works,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah me too.” The man scratches his short beard, “So does my voice recorder,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph’s curiosity gives out, “Hey! What’s your name?” She has to raise her voice a little. It’s getting loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man looks way older than Daph. He glances up and says, “‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ I’m Carlos,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pfft, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hi</span>
  </em>
  <span> Carlos,” That earns Daph a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re… Daphne?” He shouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Daph,” she smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Bennie!” Bennie chimes with a cheeky little wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos looks at her, “Nobody asked.” Her smile falters, and Daph busts out laughing. Bennie looks to Daph, disbelieving and hurt, but Daph’s not fooled. Bennie’s lips are twitching and she bites her lip like she’s hiding a smile. It only makes Daph laugh louder, higher. Then, finally, Bennie breaks open into a fit of giggles. Her smooth honey-blond hair falls onto her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos looks across their circle to Evan and asks, “What’s your name?” Daph can barely hear him over everything, mainly the butterflies swarming within her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan looks back at him, Daph silences when she still sees antsy clouds racing in her gaze. “My name’s Evangeline, but I go by Evan,” She answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods, and the group falls silent. In its place, millions of voices flood in around them. The loud, electric buzz cascades within Daph’s ears. She almost wants to cover them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeez,” Bennie winces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The buzz pulls Daph’s focus to its source, different now than it was at first glance. At the surrounding edges of the valley, the people are far and few, but as her gaze travels towards the center, it instantly grows. From a group or two to huge crowds, to the main source of the noise. A colossal patch in the middle where it’s just people. No air, no yellow plants, no grey dirt. Just people and their shadows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After watching for a few seconds, Daph notices movement. The center is swelling, expanding. People milling around the edges migrate inward. All gravitating there as though the dense crowd actually held a significant amount of mass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus Christ, it’s a Covid playground,” Carlos says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She feels it too, that gravity. It’s the same as the physical buzz she feels in the space around her. The air is so charged, it seems something </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> burst into flames. It’s almost like she can literally taste slightly burnt oxygen when she breathes in, but that would be ridiculous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan snorts, and Carlos smirks at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder how many there are,” Daph states.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I wish we could see them better,” says Bennie, “Maybe we could climb the hill a little?” She gestures at the lofty mountains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a little far,” Carlos points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is not.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, we could take a panorama!” Evan suggests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turn to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Though I guess we still wouldn’t be able to see much from here,” She looks at the ground and fidgets with a red ring on her index finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I like your train of thought,” Daph says, “What if I got on your shoulders and you spun slowly or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds like a disaster,” Carlos says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine! C’mon. Let’s get closer,” Daph jogs toward the shadows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! What? Did you not hear me? That’s a terrible idea!” Carlos says as he runs after her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be so dramatic! Look there’s a slight hill over there,” Daph points.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He mumbles something that sounds like, “I’m the furthest from dramatic…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After dashing for half a minute, Daph stops and Bennie yells, “Daph, wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph turns to look at her with an eyebrow raised, then addresses the rest of the group. “Oh please, you guys. It’s just right here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bennie falls to her knees, “You...” pant, “Run…” pant, “So…” pant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fast? No, that's not really my thing, I’m better at long distances,” She sighs and looks at Evan, “Come’re,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan, who was wheezing and coughing (Carlos had been shuffling away from her) freezes, “You actually-- like? No, um, thanks,” Her eyes flutter around. “Sorry,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos takes one glance at Evan, rolls his eyes, and steps forward, “You don’t have Corona, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umm… I don’t think so?” Daph answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good enough,” he kneels, and she climbs on. The whole thing brings this to her mind:</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, you’ve mounted me!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wh-what? Don’t say ‘</span>
  </em>
  <span>mount</span>
  <em>
    <span>’!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph laughs out loud at the thought of Dan and Phil’s first gaming video.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s so funny?” Carlos asks accusingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She goes pink. “Oh, nothing. Just um, remembered something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want to share with the class?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh God, no. Imagine trying to explain that! 1, it seems very inappropriate (it </span>
  </em>
  <span>is</span>
  <em>
    <span>), and 2, just N-O…</span>
  </em>
  <span> Daph doesn’t like to talk about Dan and Phil to strangers. The real world and her fandoms must never cross. She made the mistake once last year, and she promised herself she never would again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Daph’s pencil vibrates in her hand, tapping at the desk. She takes a shaky breath in, then out, smiling. Her knee bounces underneath the desk. She looks at the screen and at the cursor blinking in and out of existence on her blank page.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Essay… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Daph thinks. Her peers around her are chatting away, also not wanting to work.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She just has too much energy. She wants to run, or do some form of exercise to release it, but that’s not something that is acceptable. So she taps her pencil and bounces her knee.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The song in her ears comes to an end. It’s replaced by a familiar intro of guitar strums. Daph perks up and her jitters grow. She loves this song. It reminds her of her favorite people. Good feelings build up until she can’t help but giggle. It’s high-pitched and airy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Whatcha laughing at?” the kid next to her asks.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Daph pulls out an earbud, “Oh…” She laughs, “It’s this song,” she answers.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He raises an eyebrow, it makes Daph’s nerves increase, “A song that’s funny? I thought you were listening to an audiobook, like last time,”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh no, it’s a song in Japanese. It’s not actually funny, though I guess it was a meme. It’s just that my idols made a very goofy video with it in 2010, let me show you!” Daph’s rambling and grinning.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uhhh…” he says, but she doesn’t hear because she’s giggling loudly. The only thing on her mind is Dan and Phil, not the looks and stares directed at her. The guy next to her looks at those people, uncomfortable with the attention. “You know, you don’t have to show me, I’m fine.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nooo! Please? It’s funny!” She starts bouncing in her seat as she types </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Phil and Dan get-- </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>it auto-fills. She offers an earbud to him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Umm…” When he doesn’t take it, she shoves it into his hand and plays the video. Fetus Dan and Phil with their long hair greet her. The grin on her face only gets wider with each second. More giggles escape her mouth.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s like a cup under a waterfall.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then comes the part she loves the most. She hums along loudly as familiar images flicker by. She’s got at least 10 saved on her phone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anata dake mitsumete, watashi dake mitsumete,”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Daph raises her arms above her. She sways her head and hips (as much as she can while sitting down) with Dan and Phil. It’s only when she opens her eyes and finally sees everybody watching her that she falters.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, </span>
  <em>
    <span>She thinks, and buries herself in her work.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Daph’s face contorts at the memory. Her whole body stiffens.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>AHHH,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Is all that fills her brain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, that acquaintance didn’t talk to her again. Her classmates didn’t quite look at her the same, either. It’s her own damn fault for being so weird. For losing control. She hates herself for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>2019 was a lot like that. Extremely high highs, but with it, came pretty low lows. Memories of that summer nearly come to the surface. She buries it quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While she loved the feeling she felt experiencing those highs (and Dan and Phil themselves), it was almost like that energy wasn’t quite her own. There was just so much of it, like most of it was borrowed, then, out of spite, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span> would borrow </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Helloooo? Daph? Explain!” Carlos demands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph turns a darker shade of pink. “Yeah, nope. I’m going to take the picture now.” She pulls out her phone and directs Carlos to her left. “On my signal, shift right. Ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay go,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She presses the button and holds the phone as steady as she can. People nearby watch them. When the lens gets to a loud group, they pose dramatically. It takes all of Daph’s focus not to shake with laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos yells to them, “Lovely! Wonderful! Just stay perfectly still.” He sounds genuine, which surprises Daph. He seems pretty sarcastic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon after, the camera is pointed straight at the mob. She’s not seeing what she expected. Before, she thought it was mainly women, but she was dead wrong. Of what’s in her visual range, she sees boys, men, girls, women, and definitely other genders too because there are some who she has no idea. Plenty of them have dyed hair or interesting haircuts, but plenty don’t. A few are decked out in black, like herself, others have vibrant colors, lots have a mix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small part of her is relieved that there’s so much diversity, the rest can’t help but fixate on the sheer number of them. All of their voices rise like a tidal wave and crash over her. It makes her dizzy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go faster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos picks up the speed until finally Daph announces, “Done. Get me down,” trying not to sound too desperate. If Carlos notices a change, he doesn’t comment on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’s back on her feet Bennie is bouncing, eager to see the picture. Daph hands her phone over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes analyze the picture. Evan, who is taller than Bennie (and Daph), leans over Bennie’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my God…” Bennie’s sweet voice fills with unease. Then, for the second time that day, Daph hears Evan take a shaky breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thunder clouds roll in at top speed, booming. Evan’s breathing gets faster and shorter. Daph grips her shoulders, but Evan stares at the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Christ, there are thousands!” Carlos says after looking at the picture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lightning flashes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evan, are you okay?” Bennie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos stops short to look at Evan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan shakes her head, “No,” her voice trembles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos holds a hand out like he wants to offer comfort, but stops short, “Permission to touch?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Evan asks, disoriented. “Y-yeah,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” He rests a hand on her shoulder, “Evangeline, look at me,” Carlos says. Her head slowly tilts up. Daph sees tears in her eyes that streak down her face. She tries to take a deep breath. “We are here for you. We will not let anything bad happen to you. You are going to be okay,” He looks straight into her eyes. She looks back and brings up her arms hesitantly. “Y-you want a hug?” He asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan nods. Then she holds her arms up to him, breaking away from Daph. He steps into the hug, and she slumps against him, sobbing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. I’m-I... mess.” She says sobs interrupting her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-No. Don’t be,” He interrupts. “My brother has anxiety and I’ve seen this before. Just do what you need to,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph watches them with warmth in her heart. Carlos rubs the base of Evan’s neck, (“Is this okay?”) whispering optimism, while she holds on tightly, letting out her own anxiety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Evan takes a deep breath, “I want to go home,” and pulls away. She takes her phone out of her pocket. “I haven’t checked my maps yet,” Daph observes Evan opening her phone, going to her home page and --wait a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is that Dan and Phil?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was, it’s now a blank Google Maps page.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Location not found.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan sighs, punctuated with a hiccup. “Nope,” and she swipes the app closed. Daph watches for a chance to glimpse Evan’s home screen and… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t really doubt herself, she instantly recognized it. She knew there was nothing else it could be, but she wanted to be sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Daph says quietly, “Was that Dan and Phil on your wallpaper?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan stiffens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no! Don’t worry, I’m a phannie too,” Daph grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Evan turns around with a smile on her tear-stained face, “You are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...” Daph looks at the ground, “A pretty big one too, honestly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m also a pretty big phannie,” She laughs wetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They look at each other in a new light, and something clicks between them. Daph has found one of her people. Someone who knows the full extent of loving Dan and Phil. Online, her fellow phans always felt like family. Now, she has met someone who is a part of that family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though she could be reading into this too much. She probably is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her instinct is to ramble on and on about Dan and Phil, but she holds back with all her might. She would be looked at differently. She needs to keep her cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stay in control,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she tells herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you a big fan of?” Bennie asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph jumps then looks at Bennie nervously. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Noooo! Not the pretty girl! Shit, why did you have to ask?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh uh…” Evan coughs, “We were talking about um, uh, Dan and Phil,” She rushes the names out so fast, they’re unintelligible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, who?” Carlos asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The attention is suddenly overwhelming.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Maybe if she gets it over with quickly, they won’t remember. They probably don’t even know who they are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Dan and Phil,” Daph says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bennie turns to her, and her jaw drops. What the fuck does that mean? Nervous jitters swirl in Daph’s stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Way,” Bennie finally says, “Me. Too.” She beams at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph’s eyes light up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well shit,” Carlos says, grinning, “I didn’t know I made friends with </span>
  <em>
    <span>fangirls</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he rolls his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph shuts down a little at his tone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Fangirls”</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Staring eyes burn into her, and she hears her own thoughts turning against her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“She’s weird,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What the fuck is wrong with her?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> This is why she needs to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends?” Evan mumbles hopefully. It goes unnoticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could you please watch your language?” Bennie snaps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pfft shouldn’t you be used to it if you’re a phannie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bennie rolls her eyes, “Whatever-- wait. How would you know unless </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>were a phannie?” Bennie smirks at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carlos goes a little pink, “I never said I wasn’t!” He raises his hands in defeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Evan says, “Wait… You too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods confidently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph stands there with conflicting emotions and confusion. “Why were you so rude about it, then?” Daph kind of yells and she regrets that immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I was hiding how excited I was,” he says bashfully and a little guiltily.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> All her anger deflates in a single exhale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was only meant to be a joke, anyway,” He holds out a hand, “Truce?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Any anger or defensiveness crumbles, leaving a vulnerable interior exposed. He doesn't hate her. In fact, he's also a part of the family. “Yeah, sorry,” she smiles, “Truce,” and shakes his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stand there in silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bennie clears her throat, “Anyway, that’s kind of funny that we’re all phannies,” she grins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More of the tension dissipates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah a weird coincidence,” Evan laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daph smiles at that. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind of funny. Like, what are the odds?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Good ol' Promise by Hirose Kohmi.</p><p>Thanks for reading,<br/>Dia<br/>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Kinda Crazy Coincidence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy late turkey day lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the four of them study the panorama for a while, Daph hears an explosion of laughter behind her. It’s the rambunctious group who posed in the picture. One doubles over while another completely collapses onto the ground. Daph smiles. She’s glad that those people are having fun. It’s cool that they all can laugh and feel comfortable with complete strangers in a strange place. It’s more than cool, in fact, Daph applauds them for it. Except she doesn’t actually clap because that would be weird. (Right?)</p><p>Daph returns to the picture and finds the gazes of her friends also on the loud group. Bennie makes eye contact with her and smiles softly.</p><p>Bright blue eyes. She sees that they’ve got a marble-like look to them. There are strands of dark blue that mix with light blue. Complex. Beautiful. To top it all off, they’re looking straight into her own.</p><p>Nerves bubble in her throat and spill out in the form of giggles.</p><p>
  <em> Ha. Ha. Shit. </em>
</p><p>But Bennie laughs too, then her eyes light up.</p><p>“We should go show them the picture!” Her French accent is sweet like honey. Without further ado, she grabs Daph’s phone and races over, waving. They pause what they’re doing and smile at her in return. She comes to a stop and they talk for a bit. Handshakes are shared (“It’s like no one takes Covid seriously!” Carlos yells to the sky), Bennie nods and laughs then hands the phone to one of them.</p><p>Their poses were excellent, and Daph admires their confidence. What will their reactions be? The group crowds around the phone, point at various places, and laugh as Daph makes her way over.</p><p>She turns around, “Evan, Carlos, c’mon!”</p><p>“But… Corona…” Carlos protests lazily.</p><p>Evan grabs his arm and pulls him along.</p><p>“Evan!” Carlos whines.</p><p>“Drama queen…” Evan mutters quietly.</p><p>“I am NOT a DRAMA QUEEN! I’m actually worried about my Abuela…” He stops and stands straighter.</p><p>Evan considers, and her shoulders tense, “Sorry. That’s fair. You can keep your distance, I’ll stay with you,”</p><p>“But what if you have Corona!” His eyes open wide in mock fear.</p><p>Evan's shoulders relax and she rolls her eyes, then turns to Daph in a Dan-Classic <em> “this guy” </em>glance.</p><p>Daph snorts, “I’m going to get closer so I can pull Bennie back. We’ll keep our distance for you and your Abuela,”</p><p>Carlos smiles at her. It’s so genuine, it makes her heart melt.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god look at Lee!” An Asian woman says. She steps back with a straight face and stares blankly into the air with a peace sign at her side. Everyone laughs, including Daph, who is 6 feet away with Bennie at her side.</p><p>Bennie slings an arm around Daph’s shoulders and leans there as the air gallops out of her. Daph feels her face grow hot. Her consciousness fixates on every point where her body comes in contact with Bennie’s.</p><p>Someone, presumably Lee, jabs the woman playfully in protest, “Hey!” They (? not especially clear) yell with their pearly whites gleaming.</p><p>“Ow!” She exclaims, then looks at Lee with a malicious glint in her eye. Within a heartbeat, Lee realizes the danger they’re in and bolts away from this girl. She pulls an imaginary bow, or maybe sword, from behind her back, lets out a war cry and hunts them down.</p><p>They don’t get very far until both are in a heap on the earth laughing and screeching. “NO! ASH--” Lee says when they catch their breath, only for it to be lost in laughter again. “ASH STOP!” Ash doesn’t relent. She keeps tickling Lee.</p><p>The whole scene is so dramatic, but Daph absolutely loves it. There’s something about this group of 4 that seems familiar. They play, they laugh and they’re genuinely happy with each other’s company. Daph’s heart fills with warmth.</p><p>Bennie draws herself away from Daph, who pretends she doesn’t feel colder because of it. “How long have you known each other?” Bennie asks the one with Daph’s phone. He’d been straight up cackling for the entire duration of Ash and Lee’s little performance.</p><p>Surely for years, right?</p><p>He smiles fondly, then flips, <em> actually flips, </em>his bleached hair to the side and gazes at the clouds, “Um… For about 20 minutes? I’m not sure,” he shrugs.</p><p>Daph’s jaw drops. She looks to Bennie, whose expression mirrors her own. Parted lips and wide eyes, but then turns to the guy next to him and raises an eyebrow, “Aaron, is Mike being serious?” Weird thought but… Daph kind of wants Bennie to raise an eyebrow at her now.</p><p>Aaron laughs, “Yup,”</p><p>“Y’all are acting like siblings! How does <em> that </em> happen in <em> 30 minutes </em>?” Daph sounds incredulous.</p><p>“I dunno, we just clicked!”</p><p>“Probably the same way that you’re friends with Bennie,” Mike shrugs, “What’s your name?”</p><p>“Daph, but-”</p><p>“Oh! Were you the one who took the picture?”</p><p>She laughs, “<em> Yes… </em>but I still don’t understand! What do you mean 'the same way' as me and Bennie?”</p><p>“Well, you guys bonded because you are in the same situation, right? Trying to figure things out, and such,”</p><p>“I guess,”</p><p>“So did we,”</p><p>She pauses, still not satisfied, “Right, but there’s something missing! What else?”</p><p>Aaron says, “I suppose it helps that we four are extroverts, and we have loads in common,”</p><p>She sighs. Maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s just that simple --but why is there something in her gut that tells her there’s more to this? Something she needs to know. Something so familiar. She stares at the mountains in concentration for a moment, then lets out a breath. That’s so stupid, there’s nothing more to it. Extroverts are extroverts. They can just make friends and connections like this.</p><p>“I think it is great you found each other. You all look so happy,” Bennie smiles at Mike.</p><p>“Yeah! I guess we are,” Mike agrees.</p><p>Ash and Lee stumble towards them and collapse on the grey soil, panting.</p><p><em> In only </em> 20 <em> minutes? </em></p><p>“What was it that you had in common?” Daph decides to follow her gut. She needs more pieces of the puzzle.</p><p>“Well, we’re all near 19, and there’s the extrovert thing,” Mike pauses, “and we’re all queer in some sort of way,” Daph perks up at this. Two reasons. 1, that’s a pretty big piece of the puzzle (it slots into place among the others). 2, well, um… maybe she’ll disclose that later.</p><p>“Yeah I’m a HUGE lesbian,” Ash lies on the ground making dirt angels. Daph snorts and cringes at the same time.</p><p>Lee, who’s sitting next to her says, “I’m ace and non-binary. Also, Ash, <em> what </em> are <em> you doing? </em>” Ash pushes Lee in response and they push back.</p><p>Daph is suddenly very glad she didn’t assume. In fact, she’s a little proud because she wants to be a good ally. She should still double-check their pronouns.</p><p>“You guys are adults, stop!” Aaron says to both of them.</p><p>When they stop play-fighting, Daph asks, “So… they/them?”</p><p>Lee looks at her and smiles, “Yep!”</p><p>Daph returns it, “Good to know,”</p><p>“I’m gay,” Aaron says.</p><p>“Yeah and I’m bi,” Mike mentions.</p><p>“Cool, cool,” Daph says. She’s never been in the presence of so many out people before. It's overwhelming in a good sort of way. Before she can change her mind, she says, “I’m bi too.” The words are like tiny bombs falling in slow motion from her lips. She’s used to typing the word, to being loud and proud on Twitter, but she isn’t as used to <em> saying </em>it, to being out in real life. It’s not that she isn’t, she just keeps the volume down low. There aren’t many times when it would come up in conversation with IRLs anyway. She’s private about that kind of stuff.</p><p>Finally, after an eternity passes in her mind, Mike and the rest of that group smile at her. Relief floods through her lighter than helium. Then she glances up at Bennie who puts a soothing hand on Daph’s shoulder and squeezes. It’s an injection of tingles and butterflies that swarm in her stomach.</p><p>Overall, good. Not just good, but great, amazing, and wonderful. She’s soaring through the sky as light as a feather.</p><p>“I am as straight as a meter stick,” Bennie says with a wide grin and a teasing wink. Her voice is as sweet as ever, saying things so beautifully different from the way Daph does, but… she’d be lying if she said the content of her words made her smile the way Bennie is right now.</p><p>Ash, Lee, Mike, and Aaron bust out laughing.</p><p>Daph also laughs (half-heartedly), and when the air leaves her lungs, it doesn’t really return.</p><p>
  <em> So much for gaydar… </em>
</p><p>“Another thing we’ve got in common is our music tastes!” Ash says, “I’m a little all over the place, and so is Lee, but all four of us like or at least know a little Muse,” She’s got a huge smile that’s all teeth.</p><p>Daph is trying to breathe, so it takes a second until her brain catches up and fully realizes what Ash just said. Guitar riffs play. Lyrics and melodies she’s loved for over a year come together all at once.</p><p>“Really?!” Daph exclaims, the pitch in her voice jumping up two octaves (she’s too happy to care), “I like Muse too! What’s your favorite one? Mine’s ‘Map of the Problematique’!”</p><p>They all brighten up.</p><p>“Woah, woah, wait,” Aaron holds up a hand, “Before we go off into a Muse tangent, lemme place a bet here,” he pauses, “I bet… you’re also a Dan and Phil fan.”</p><p>Lee, Mike, and Ash look at each other and laugh.</p><p>Daph’s jaw drops, “How the <em> hell </em>did you know?”</p><p>“Because we literally just had this exact conversation!” Lee giggles.</p><p>Same age, all LGBT+, all know Muse, all are phannies. That would be enough for Daph to make a new family, too.</p><p>“Ohhh!” Daph says, “That makes so much sense!” Then, “...That’s so odd!” Because it is! How is it that here she’s met more phannies in the last half hour than she has in her <em> entire existence </em>? It’s really cool, yes, but weird. Also, why now? Why couldn’t she have met any at school? It would have made things a lot less lonely.</p><p>“What’s odd?” Ash inquires.</p><p>“Just one second,” Daph says to Ash, “Guys!” She yells at Evan and Carlos, who are chatting away behind them.</p><p>They turn to look at her, “What?” Carlos yells.</p><p>“These guys are phannies too!” Daph points behind her.</p><p>“No way!” Carlos yells.</p><p>Evan's jaw drops.</p><p>“Yeah isn’t that really weird?”</p><p>Evan and Carlos nod vigorously.</p><p>“Ohh so you are phannies too,” Ash says.</p><p>“Yep,” says Bennie.</p><p>“Yeah that <em> is </em>kinda odd,” Aaron says.</p><p>“One of the weirdest coincidences I’ve ever seen,” Mike adds.</p><p>
  <em> Coincidence… </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Coincidence? </em>
</p><p>“What if…” Daph starts but doesn’t finish.</p><p>“What? ...What if it is not?” Bennie turns to her.</p><p>She nods tentatively at first, but then more confidently, “Y-yeah! I mean, nothing here really makes sense. How did we get here? Where are we? Why don’t our phones work? And why is <em> every single </em>stranger I’ve met today a phannie?”</p><p>They all stare at her as they think.</p><p>“By the way, I’d like my phone back,” She says to Mike.</p><p>“Oh! Sure,” He laughs.</p><p>“Soo…” Lee gestures at the thousands of people, “Would they all be phannies too?”</p><p>That’s what her gut says, so she nods, “...I think we should go find out,” Daph starts walking to the nearest strangers.</p><p>“I will go with you,” Bennie chimes.</p><p>Daph nods, “Yes! Come along and help me complete my quest!” She says with exaggerated macho chivalry.</p><p>“Hey! Um... I will too,” Evan says, racing forward.</p><p>Carlos looks flabbergasted.</p><p>Daph laughs, “No, Evan! Don’t leave Carlos!” Evan stops in her tracks, “Besides, the less the better. Don’t wanna spread covid ‘n’ stuff,”</p><p>“Kay,” Evan says as she returns to Carlos’s side,</p><p>“Be safe!” He yells.</p><p> </p><p>Daph turns on business-mode. The one she uses for school projects with unwilling peers.</p><p>They stop 6 feet away from the next clump, and Daph clears her throat, “Howdy!” she says with a polite smile.</p><p>It’s the mode she uses with strangers that ask her if she knows where the bathroom is.</p><p>The group of girls, (or at least female-aligned people. Daph knows that she definitely shouldn’t assume if these people are phannies), turn to her.</p><p>“Hey,” One of them greets her.</p><p>“So, quick question,” Anytime her mom was in charge of a school fundraiser, she would make Daph help (<em> “Please, Daphne? Your school needs you! </em>). That was how she learned how useful business-mode was.</p><p>The girls nod.</p><p>“Are any of you Dan and Phil fans?” <em> Would you be interested in participating in my school’s fundraiser? </em></p><p>Several stumble backward, others’ eyes just open wide.</p><p>“Yeah, why?” Someone else with an Indian accent asks.</p><p>“Are all of you?” Daph says.</p><p>They all nod. It’s like a kick to the stomach.</p><p><em> Now that’s... four, eight, ten, thirteen… </em> She counts the number in this group. <em> Eighteen! </em></p><p>
  <em> What the fuck. </em>
</p><p>“Wow, Bennie,” Daph says darkly.</p><p>“Yeah! 18! This is cool!” Bennie says, in awe, slightly oblivious to Daph's tone.</p><p>“What?” Several of the girls ask.</p><p>“We think everybody here is a phannie,” Bennie answers with a smile.</p><p>“So far, our hypothesis is proving to be correct,” Daph adds.</p><p>“Really? That’s so weird!” Another girl says.</p><p>“Yup! We gotta go now,” Daph puts on a smile, “Thank you for your time,”</p><p>It’s the mode she uses so she can turn off her brain. So she can conserve as much energy as possible. On the outside, she seems sociable and nice. The truth is, she’s actually just a robot with several pre-programmed responses.</p><p>They go in a sort-of-circle around where she hopes Evan and Carlos are. If she’s being honest, she thinks she lost track. Though she isn’t going to be honest with herself. She knows worry would take over if she did. Right now, she needs to focus on the task at hand:</p><p>Find someone who isn’t a phannie.</p><p>As they walk to the next gathering of people, a clump of boys messing around, they stop and ask a few strays. After all of them say yes, Bennie pulls out her phone, “I am going to write this down!”</p><p>“Good idea,” Daph says, then she points to the boys, “I hope they aren’t phannies,”</p><p>Bennie looks at her and her smile falters, “Why?”</p><p>“I dunno, I guess it would be less overwhelming if we could just find someone who isn’t,” </p><p>“It overwhelms you? I think it is exciting!” She says with a glint in her eyes.</p><p>Beautiful blue, heterosexual eyes. ...Maybe this <em>should </em>be exciting for her. They stop a few feet away from the chaotic boys. “Hello!” Daph yells.</p><p>One of the younger ones turns to look at her, “Hi?”</p><p>“I’ve just got a quick question for all of you,” She announces. Finally, they all turn.</p><p>“I would <em> love </em>to answer!” One with an Australian accent says sarcastically. Several laugh.</p><p><em> Wow, so funny, </em>It bounces off her impenetrable business force-field.</p><p>“I was just wondering if any or all of you are Dan and Phil fans,” Straight to the point. All that’s missing is a clipboard and pen.</p><p>The looks on their faces are priceless. First, just wide eyes and opened mouths, but then blushes as they glance at each other or stammer out, “W-what?! Who are Dan and Phil?” or some variation of that.</p><p>
  <em> Oh so manly. </em>
</p><p>Daph can’t <em> not </em>laugh, so she lets business mode power down long enough for her to let out a quick chuckle, “Should I take that as a yes then?”</p><p>“What’s it to you?” A new one says.</p><p>Daph ignores it for a moment, “That makes,” Daph mumbles some numbers, “29! What the actual fuck,”</p><p>“I will write that down!” Bennie cheers, totally opposite from Daph.</p><p>Daph repeats the explanation of their hypothesis, “Bye! Thank you for your time,”</p><p>Sometimes she feels bad that she’s not being personal enough. Other times, she’s too relieved to care.</p><p>“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Daph says as she and Bennie walk.</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>“About, well, I just mean that I should take a chill pill. I’m making this too big of a deal in my head,”</p><p>Bennie smiles at her, “I am glad you have perspective,”</p><p>Daph looks up at Bennie, “Hey... if you notice I’m being dramatic or something, will you tell me?”</p><p>Bennie considers, “I would not say you were being dramatic. You are well within your rights to be shocked.” Her words are a warm cozy blanket in the winter. It wraps around Daph comfortingly. She feels safe. “But I will tell you if you are being ‘or something',”</p><p>Daph giggles, “Thanks, I appreciate it,” and she does.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>“How dare they laugh and feel comfortable! They must be soft, and weak, and girly, and GAY.”<br/>*smirk*<br/>Don’t worry I’m also sad that Bennie is straight :’(</p><p>Next chapter in two weeks! (On Sunday or Monday)<br/>Thanks for reading,<br/>Dia &lt;3</p><p>p.s. Comments would be appreciated! I genuinely want to know what you think :)<br/>Also, my birthday is on the 1st, which is coincidentially the day I'm "publishing" this (even if I already tried on sunday). If you wanna wish me a good one, or say hello, I’m @DiaTheDismal on Twitter.<br/>*Does a little awkward dance*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Long Lost Platonic Soulmates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>To anyone that noticed, this is not when I said I’d post this chapter lol. I take full responsibility for that.<br/>Having a schedule was worth a try, but needless to say, I’m not going to have one anymore.</p><p>Onward~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun is surprisingly strong for October ...Or maybe it’s just that she’s wearing black. It’s definitely the latter. The rays shine on Daph at a slant as the minutes pass. The warmth is mostly pleasant but it’s not enough to balance out the discomfort she feels in her own skin as she talks. She feels thoroughly inspected. As though the gazes of the many strangers unscrew and loosen her insides. Her organs and muscles twitch, rattle, and crash around underneath the surface. It’s a wonder that nobody else hears it.</p><p>She breathes and she smiles.</p><p>
  <em> “You just have to believe in yourself, and get to the other side.” </em>
</p><p>It’s a relief to have Bennie with her. She shares a lot of the attention and focus, and she directs about half of the conversation.</p><p>Sometimes, they walk into an especially populated area. People within just a foot or two of each other. Obviously, they immediately retreat to keep their distance, but Daph would not want to go anyway. She doesn’t want to be surrounded by towering people nor get any more of that constant, suffocating buzz that fills her.</p><p>After they get to 86, they decide they should keep track of the number of people they encounter who aren’t phannies, which at the moment was zero. Much easier.</p><p>True to her word, Daph isn’t freaking out. Yes, she’s uncomfortable, but that’s nothing new. She’s being polite, oxygen is pumping through her body, she would hydrate if she could. She’s still confused, of course, since answering one question made several others rise, but she’s not letting that scare her. She knows that it’s necessary to use fear to keep herself safe, but questions and uncertainty don’t have to be paralyzing. Instead, it can be intriguing! Which is what she is filled with right now. An immense infatuation with questions like: <em> Are all the phannies in the entire world here? What about ex-phannies? </em></p><p>And,<em> Wait!</em> <em>If all the fans of Dan and Phil are here, are their real-life friends and family too? Cuz I mean... who is going to be a bigger fan of Dan and Phil --than </em>Dan<em> and </em>Phil<em>, themselves?</em></p><p>Then <em> ...Why does it feel like I’ve left out something important? </em></p><p>Lots of questions she wants the answer to but doesn’t know how to begin reaching for. It’s like walking in a dark, vast room, filled with unknown objects on the floor. She keeps kicking them, or tripping over, or stubbing her toe, so she feels along the walls and wonders where the light switch is.</p><p>The last question twists her stomach uncomfortably. Almost like she hears a hiss in the darkness. There’s a snake nearby, she knows this, but she’s not exactly sure where it is, or when it will pounce. Something she should be warier of, but she’s more afraid of the answer than the revelation itself. The pain of the impending bite versus the jump of the snake. If it’s just the slithering snake for now, then she can ignore it. She’ll mind her own business if the snake will too.</p><p>Minutes pass and faces flash by. Some upbeat, others terrified and hard to talk to. They come across a group of people who don’t speak English, so Daph and Bennie convene themselves. Perhaps they’re less likely to be phannies? They decide to just say “Dan and Phil,” then gauge their reactions. To which they do like everyone else has: with either raised eyebrows or excited smiles or gaping mouths. Simple enough answer.</p><p>After they go on for a while longer, Daph notices that she is finding it much harder to smile. <em> Okay just… longer breaks, </em> She tells herself.</p><p>She can genuinely smile with Bennie, so Daph spends more time talking to her in between each stranger. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to help much. Okay... so maybe business mode doesn’t make Daph invincible. It’s got its flaws.</p><p>It certainly helps while it’s going, but it runs on batteries and on borrowed time.</p><p>Finally, after they talk to the only person they’ve seen around wearing a mask, Daph tells Bennie they should head back. At which point they realize… they don’t know where Carlos and Evan are.</p><p>They run around in the loud sea of phannies for several terrifying minutes until they come to a stop in front of the adults.</p><p>“It is all of them!” Bennie says, panting but sporting an excited grin.</p><p>“We must have talked to two hundred people!” Until she said it aloud, Daph hadn’t thought about it like that. All the faces flicker by in her vision. It’s ludicrous that she actually did that. Talked to like, 200 people... She smiles for a moment, a little proud that she went so far out of her comfort zone.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Carlos says, his gaze sharp and piercing.</p><p>“We are sure!” Bennie jumps excitedly like she’s giving the best news ever.</p><p>“Yeah and we’re sure that there’s no way it’s ‘just a coincidence’,” Daph states, leaning back and folding her arms.</p><p>There’s a pause before Evan asks, “There must have been at least one who… wasn’t?”</p><p>“Nope… Every. Single. One,” Daph straightens her posture.</p><p>“Huh,” Evan’s mouth drops open, dumbfounded.</p><p>“I don’t believe that,” Carlos shrugs casually, “It just seems unlikely.” It takes a second for the words to register and when they do, Daph furrows her eyebrows and opens her mouth to protest. She did <em>not </em>run around talking to <em>strangers </em>for minutes just to not be believed. However, Bennie beats her to it.</p><p>“Why not? Why is it unlikely?” Bennie asks softly, with a small frown and tilt to her head.</p><p>“Because there has got to be someone who isn’t,” He folds in on himself, crossing his arms.</p><p>Bennie laughs, “I can assure you, there was not,”</p><p>“I believe them,” Evan interjects quietly. Daph shoots her a grateful smile. Evan smiles back.</p><p>“Hmm… I don’t know… It’ just doesn’t make any sense,”</p><p>Bennie pauses, “I know… it is really weird, but there is no mistake,” she says calmly.</p><p>Inspired by Bennie, Daph exhales, “Hey, it took me a while to accept it too,”</p><p>Carlos’s eyes open wider, shocked, “That’s not what’s happening here I-”</p><p>Daph gives him an incredulous stare, and Carlos falls silent.</p><p>Bennie smiles softly, “Well! Come here! Come see!” She gives him an excited wave in the direction of all the phannies.</p><p>Carlos seems reluctant, but he nods. At the sight of the two walking away, sickening nerves and fear cascade into Daph’s stomach like a heavy bucket of pebbles, “Wait! No. Please? In a few minutes,”</p><p>Bennie pauses, and turns, “Well, just Carlos and I can go…” she points a thumb behind her.</p><p>Daph shakes her head, “What if you get lost like we did? And… I don’t want to split up,”</p><p>They all look at Daph.</p><p>“Okay, we can wait,” Evan nods.</p><p> </p><p>In the end, Daph decides this is a good thing. It’s a great idea to go out and explore more. 1) she can get more exercise, 2) they will see if they can find anyone who isn’t a phannie, and 3) spread awareness. These people deserve to know what’s going on around them. She talks to the rest of the clique about it, and they agree.</p><p>As Daph rests, she has a lively chat with Carlos about Muse, who as it turns out is also a fan. He has been for the same-ish amount of time as Daph has, which is awesome! They compare their favorite songs and laugh and smile. This is exactly what she needs right now.</p><p>“Yeah I’ve been learning Hysteria on the guitar,” he says.</p><p>Daph’s mouth drops open of its own accord, “No way! That’s so cool!”</p><p>He laughs, and scratches his head, “I’m not very good yet. My fingers are clumsy,”</p><p>“I bet it will be amazing. You’ll have to show me when you finish,”</p><p>He rolls his eyes, “Sure, sure. Do <em> you </em> play an instrument?”</p><p>“Um,” She gazes at the sky, “I kinda play the piano… For my 11th birthday, I got lessons for, like, a year and a half. I used to be able to read notes and everything, but I dropped it all because it was kinda stressful… Nowadays, I just use piano tutorials on youtube when I want to learn something,” Daph laughs at herself, “I am thankful for the lessons, though… They helped me with using my fingers,” She taps them against her thighs, “Apparently…” she leans in and whispers, “There are secret ‘techniques’,”</p><p>At that, Carlos squints and frowns, but quickly neutralizes his face. “Cool,” he says with a respectful nod.</p><p>Confused, Daph reflects on what she said. It doesn’t take long until she pales, “OH! I-I was talking about piano and only piano!” she stammers out.</p><p>His face breaks open into loud laughter and he says, “Relax, relax! But jeez that was as bad as Phil,”</p><p>“Ugh!” Daph facepalms, but then, “<em>...Lady door</em>,” She says with a sly grin.</p><p>“NOOOO!” Carlos and Bennie boom. Shocked, Daph very literally falls down a cackling spiral.</p><p>When Daph finds the power to sit up, Evan is laughing heavily. It’s a high-pitched, beautiful thing Daph hasn’t heard much of. A red ring glints on Evan’s hand that’s placed over her face, sadly obscuring the view of the smile Daph caused. Carlos and Bennie are farther away than she remembered, and their faces are all scrunched up, but Daph can see smiles hiding in the crinkles.</p><p>Daph can’t help but fall back again. She doesn’t have the strength to resist the laughter that pours out of her. She’s completely useless to the world with limbs that have turned into butter.</p><p>Soon, Carlos and Bennie melt into laughter too. They’re all like fish out of water, shaking uncontrollably and gasping for air.</p><p>“Please... do not say…” Bennie coughs, “<em>T</em><em>hat </em> again.” She betrays her tone with an amused smile and a glint in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Daph stands, “Well!” She stretches and marvels at her rejuvenated self; despite just talking to people, she doesn’t feel drained! It’s astonishing! “I’m ready to go now,”</p><p>She gazes at the endless number of beings in the valley. Now, she knows more about them. It was less of a mystery than it was before. She’s struck yet again, by a feeling of missing something. Something obvious that raises the hair on her arms, and flips her stomach.</p><p>She pulls in oxygen desperately. It does a little to loosen the knot in her stomach.</p><p>“Okay, yeah,” Evan says to everyone with more confidence than Daph has yet to see her possess. What is Evan up to? “Let’s do what phannies do best and start a trend,” A silly grin is plastered across her face.</p><p>They look at each other for a second, then spontaneously explode. Daph stumbles and nearly falls as she snickers like she’s the actual laughing-crying emoji.</p><p>She regains her balance and wipes tears from her eyes. Yep! There’s no doubt. This is definitely <em>way </em>better than French class.</p><p>For now, however, it’s time for Daph to take a deep breath, and power the batteries back on.</p><p>Dry plants crunch under her feet,<em> Time for action. </em></p><p>“Hello! Do you know Dan and Phil?”</p><p>In 8th grade, Daph molded a shell to step into when she needed to do something that made her uncomfortable. Whether it be to get through lunch or school projects with her peers, she wanted to be able to hide. If she could, she’d usually hide with someone she trusted or knew at least a little bit. That was honestly more comfortable, but it was a rare occurrence.</p><p>”...Could you help us spread the word? Like, tell phannies to tell other phannies...”</p><p>The outer shell takes the energy she has and makes it go much farther. Like learning to use air wisely so she can sing a long note.</p><p>”...Thanks for your time!”</p><p>It gave her fake confidence ...Or maybe not <em>fake</em>, just superficial. Is that the same as fake? If it’s not, sometimes it feels like it might as well be. She lets people see what she wants them to see, no further. All carefully controlled --though that’s not the complete truth. She wishes she could always be in control, but there are some emotions she just can’t suppress. In rock-paper-scissors, the whole, “love beats all”, unsurprisingly beats business mode. Just look at her fangirling emotions that can be ridiculously strong at times.</p><p>Another part of her --an infinitesimally small part-- wonders if maybe that’s not a bad thing… It asks, “Why <em> should </em> it be a bad thing?”</p><p>Daph, Evan, Bennie, and Carlos reassemble after each talking to one person/group within eyesight of each other. She bounds into step beside Carlos.</p><p>“Well, Carlos? Still a heretic?” Daph says, a cheeky grin on her face.</p><p>He rolls his eyes and nods “Yes… That was only <em> one </em> person,”</p><p>“Alright...” Daph shoots up her arms sarcastically in mock surrender.</p><p>“Ah, but you will come around. You will see,” Bennie says with a patient smile.</p><p>“And technically,” Evan adds, “It wasn’t just ‘one’,”</p><p>Carlos scoffs lightheartedly.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay! Fine!” He yells after they talk to 15-ish phannies each.</p><p>Daph laughs and pumps her fist, then holds it out for Bennie and Evan to bump.</p><p>Bennie cheers, “That is what I thought!” She wears a triumphant smirk like that of a queen.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” He says, but he’s got a small hint of a smile.</p><p>“Don’t doubt them again, dude,” Evan says, patting his shoulder.</p><p>The girls giggle until Carlos does too. Daph genuinely likes the company of these strangers. She feels relaxed with these people, in a way she hasn't in a while.</p><p>She walks up to the next person with a bit of a bounce in her step. It’s easier knowing that when she’s done talking, she can go back to them. She can step out of the mold.</p><p> </p><p>“Where do you guys live?” Daph drops the gauntlet to their “stranger” status, “I’m on the west coast of the U.S.,” she knows she <em>will </em>win. She has to. Or, she desperately wants to.</p><p>“I live in Canada,” Carlos answers.</p><p>“Paris, France,” Bennie says, accentuating her accent so it’s more authentic. Daph smiles.</p><p>“Mum’s Basement, England,” Evan deadpans.</p><p>Carlos is the first to snort and Evan sports a proud smile. Daph and Bennie laugh too, naturally. The laughter of the four of them is contagious.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Daph says to new people. To her surprise, the greeting is drenched in happy feelings; she didn’t have to add pep to her voice because it was already there. As the conversation continues, Daph finds that it’s slightly easier now. Like someone gave her batteries a shot of espresso. Or maybe it’s just hard to step in and out of business-mode so frequently.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you guys like to do?” Daph asks.</p><p>“You mean besides be an internet slob and stan Dan and Phil?” Carlos asks.</p><p>Daph stammers for a second, trying to respond but she can’t because Evan started laughing, then Bennie, then for God's sake so did Carlos! She couldn’t resist the pull if she tried. She’s already weak in the knees, so she flat-out collapses.</p><p>From the dirt, she says, “Yes, exactly!” with a challenging simile, “Or is that all you do?”</p><p>“Ha. Ha. Don’t you pretend it isn’t all <em>you </em>do,” He teases back.</p><p>“Okay, sure, it’s a lot of what I do, but not all of it.” Daph giggles. Carlos shakes his head so Daph continues, “I like to run with my cross country team. Or at least, when school doesn’t shut down,” Daph laughs, “Or in the offseason, I’ll run by myself,”</p><p>“How far?” Evan asks, kneeling to look Daph in the eyes.</p><p>Daph grins, glad to hear someone is interested, “Mostly 5ks, but I’ve been training for a 10k, and I’m getting faster!”</p><p>Evan nods.</p><p>“Wow… That’s honestly really impressive,” Carlos says.</p><p>“Ha,” Daph laughs a little sarcastically, but then, “Thanks,” she says with a real smile.</p><p>Bennie teasingly pats the top of Daph’s head, “You are cool,”</p><p>Daph beams. <em> I am… ‘cool’? </em> Leftover butterflies fly in, but Daph tells them to buzz off. <em> You have no place here, </em> she says to them.</p><p>Daph gets up, and the four of them laugh more about being “an internet slob”. They share more about their interests as they roam around and spread the word. Between them rests an unspoken agreement to stay together. None of them want to leave even if it’s only for a second. Which is much slower, but Daph doesn’t protest. Mainly because, well… she couldn’t feel more at home.</p><p> </p><p>“--yes I think it will be one with pixelated graphics! Similar to the classics! Like Chrono Trigger or Link’s Awakening,” Bennie’s fingers dazzle the air as she speaks, “But that does not matter as much to me as the story does, so it might change. I am not sure… Whatever fits!”</p><p>Daph nods excitedly, “Hey well I value a good story and I’d love to play it when you finish!”</p><p>“Yeah me too,” Evan agrees.</p><p>“Count me in,” Carlos nods, “All I do is play video games anyway,”</p><p>Bennie laughs excitedly. “Well, since you are all so eager, I must warn you it will be after I move to California and get a bachelor’s degree,”</p><p>“Oh I’m very willing to wait,” Daph assures her.</p><p>Bennie beams with all the light of the sun, leaving Daph blinking and blind.</p><p> </p><p>Daph leads the group to a few individuals who laugh and chatter excitedly.</p><p>“Hello, excuse me,” Daph says, grinning. Even with her feeling so confident, and being so straight-to-the-point, it doesn’t feel tied to business mode. For once it feels true. She feels like she used to when she was a kid. Less scared.</p><p>“Hello!” One greets her with just as much gusto. It banishes any thoughts of whether Daph needs to retrieve the shell.</p><p>“Do you guys like Dan and Phil?” Carlos asks.</p><p>The strangers laugh more.</p><p>“Yes, and you’re now the second one to ask,” one says.</p><p>“We’re… the second ones to ask?” Evan says.</p><p>“Yep!” another one says.</p><p>It clicks as the four of them walk away.</p><p>“We’re trending…” Daph says. Then a smile breaks out on Daph’s face, “We’re trending!” She jumps up and down. “Guys! We did it!!”</p><p>Bennie squeals and holds her arms out to Daph, who happily leaps in. They stumble and nearly fall as they cheer and giggle.</p><p>After a second of hesitation, Evan piles on and squeezes the bunch. They rock back and forth, screaming with joy. When Daph catches her breath, it feels all too silent. There are only three people breathing. Evan scoffs lightheartedly and pulls back.</p><p>Carlos stands at a distance, looking at the three of them fondly. He leans like he’ll come forward, but he doesn’t.</p><p>Evan places a hand on her hip and waves. “Get over here, dingus,”</p><p>He mutters something like, “<em>Dorks</em>,” but as they all sway like they’re in a ballroom, it doesn’t sneak past Daph when he melts into the embrace like he belongs there. They all do. Daph truly wants to believe that. She thinks that she can if they will too.</p><p> </p><p>As they talk to more and more people, they find that more and more have previously been informed. Every time the four celebrate. “Hi-5s all around!” Evan had said once very awkwardly. Daph isn’t sure of the last time she’d laughed this much in a single day. She feels airy like she’s going to float away any second. It makes talking to strangers so much easier.</p><p>Each confirmation pumps Daph’s heart with yet more pride. With her being mostly unnoticeable on Twitter (she doesn’t mind it), she sure as hell thought she could never be able to accomplish such a thing.</p><p>Time goes on, and the top of Daph’s head begins to feel uncomfortably hot. She glances up to see the sun now hangs almost directly overhead. Had it been morning before? She’s not sure. With everything going on she hadn’t thought twice about what time it was. How long have they been here? Her eyebrows furrow as she considers. Perhaps an hour or maybe two? Daph reaches for her back pocket.</p><p>
  <b>10:12</b>
</p><p>“What?!” She says aloud.</p><p>How in the <em>world </em>is 10:12 correct? She looks around. The sky is clear, a polar opposite to the dark, dismal-grey sky of Oregon this morning. This yellow valley is filled with bright, noon-ish light. Yeah, nope. Her phone must be broken.</p><p>But how long <em>had </em>it been?</p><p>“What?” Evan asks.</p><p>Daph turns to her, “Oh nothing, I think my phone is busted, but I guess that’s nothing new,” she laughs.</p><p>Hmm… 10:10 is when Daph would usually eat lunch. Is it 10:12 in Oregon? Has it been 2 and a half hours? French would be long over by now. Is Amber wondering where she is? At that thought, Daph laughs. Even <em>she </em>doesn’t know where she is.</p><p>“Hey, what were you guys doing before you got here?” Daph asks while simultaneously hoping that Amber will find someone to sit with in her absence.</p><p>Evan’s steps come to a slow stop. Her gaze stares straight ahead for a moment but then swivels sharply to look at Daph, “You know… that’s a good question,” she considers for a moment, “I was having dinner with my mum and talking about my grades…. It was dark outside then,” Abruptly, her eyes open wide, “Mum is probably wondering where I am! Oh my God…. She must be terrified!” Her hands run through her short hair, then fall again. She fidgets with the red ring on her index finger as her hands begin to shake.</p><p>Secondhand fear vibrates in Daph’s stomach like a swarm of angry bees. She looks at Bennie, and it’s like looking into a mirror.</p><p>“Oh. Shit,” Carlos says, a shadow over his eyes and his hands rigid at his sides, “My boyfriend was coming over, so I was cooking tacos for lunch,”</p><p>The three girls look at him.</p><p>“The meat… The tortillas… My apartment is probably on fire,”</p><p><em> Oh no, </em> Is all Daph can think. <em> Oh no… </em> </p><p>“<em>Mon Dieu, </em>” Bennie puts a hand over her mouth.</p><p><em> When will we get back? Carlos needs to get back. </em> They’ve been here for hours, and who knows for how much longer. They don’t even know <em>how </em>they got here. Suddenly, a big cloud rolls in, blocking the sun. The absence sends a chill down her spine. Dark spots dance across her vision. She stumbles and almost falls but she finally remembers to breathe.</p><p><em> How will we get back? </em> Again, Daph taps frantically at her phone, hoping for a miracle. Perhaps her text to her mom was sent?</p><p>
  <b>Not Delivered (!)</b>
</p><p>“Damn!” Daph shouts.</p><p>Evan half sits, half falls down, and wraps her arms around her knees. “We’re trapped here,” She says matter-of-factly.</p><p><em> Shit</em>. It hits Daph like a bucket of bricks. Only the bricks turn hot, like lava, and burn through her. She knew something was missing. This is the snake bite.</p><p>And like, DUH! How could she be so stupidly blind!?</p><p>Bennie inhales sharply. Tears well up and fall from her eyes, but she doesn’t wipe them away. They just fall onto her hands which are visibly shaking in front of her. “J'ai peur,” She says timidly. She looks at Daph, and Daph understands. Thank you, Mrs. Berna.</p><p>Daph walks over and takes her hand, “Me too.” They look into each other’s eyes for a moment, just because they can.</p><p>“I want to go home,” Bennie says, voice breaking.</p><p>Red-rimmed, familiar blue sapphires soothe Daph’s pulse somewhat, but then her own eyes fill and spill. She swallows a sob, “Me too,”</p><p>She pulls Bennie along until she can reach for Evan with her other hand. Evan looks up emptily at it for a moment, then her coffee-brown meets Daph’s dark brown. Daph offers a small smile, and finally, Evan takes it. Daph squeezes Evan’s hand and looks to Carlos, who stares intensely at the dirt. Every part of him is tense. His jaw is clenched and his arms are stiff.</p><p>Daph shares a glance with the two girls, and they nod.</p><p>Daph and Bennie help Evan up, who seems stronger holding onto them, life returning to her eyes. Then Bennie and Evan hold out their hands to Carlos.</p><p>He immediately takes them, “Maybe…” he says, a smidge of light in the dark, “Maybe Cole got in… He’s got a key…” He takes a deep breath in, “Maybe he saved my apartment,” He looks at each of them then and something in his gaze solidifies. He stands taller, and his expression relaxes somewhat.</p><p>Daph’s next breath is slightly easier like the air is lighter. <em> “There is always hope,” </em>She thinks desperately.</p><p>“What if,” Evan says, looking around, “We climb to the top of one of those hills. See what’s around us…”</p><p>The four look around. They stand near the center of the oval valley.</p><p>“Yes! Look! Over there people are climbing!” Bennie exclaims. She points to the left at the mountains on the opposite end, and yes. People are climbing. A whole mob of them, too.</p><p>“That’s an hour’s walk away…” Daph says.</p><p>“Yeah…” Carlos says sarcastically, “--No. Let’s go to this one,” He jabs his thumb at the hills closest to them. Maybe like half an hour away.</p><p>“Sounds like a plan,” Daph says. Then, an idea spreads a smirk across her face, “Use your orienteering skills, Lester,”</p><p>…Nothing.</p><p><em> Shoot. </em> Was it too soon to tell a joke? Should she have stayed serious? Yes, she should have. Duh! <em> Shit. </em> But to her relief, they laugh. Just a little bit. A chorus of all their voices sing for a few sweet seconds. Carlos’s tense shoulders ease enough to shake a little. Evan stops fidgeting with her ring to slap Daph gently. Bennie giggles to the sky and returns to smile that soft, quiet smile of hers.</p><p>“Good one,” Evan nudges Daph with her elbow. Even at what feels like the end of the world, Daph grins.</p><p>Daph’s thinking it, but this time she decides to say it aloud, “There is always hope,”</p><p> </p><p>Granted, there isn’t actually much hope, but now they have a new drive. A new distraction.</p><p>What there is, however, is support. Fellowship. <em> Friends. </em></p><p>They’re in this together.</p><p>It’s <em>s</em><em>uch </em>a relief.</p><p>“Hey um…” Evan rubs the back of her arm, “I know this isn’t completely relevant, but I was just thinking…” She looks at each of us. “What if we traded phone numbers?” She rushes the words out of her mouth.</p><p>Daph smiles broadly, thankful Evan brought it up.</p><p>“Yes! That is a great idea!” Bennie says, “When we all get out of here, Daph can tell us about her 10k progress!”</p><p>
  <em> ...“When we all get out of here,”... </em>
</p><p>Also… Bennie remembered that? Daph’s face turns red. She coughs, “Ha! And so I can drool over pictures of Carlos’ food,” She smiles at him.</p><p>“Oh, no doubt. My food is amazing,” Carlos says with a smug grin.</p><p>“And!” Evan nudges Bennie, “So we can hear about your video game,”</p><p>“Oh! Hahaha…” It was Bennie’s turn to blush.</p><p>Daph taps on the note app. “I want your social media too,” She says as she hands the phone to Bennie. “Pass it around,”</p><p>Bennie smiles and nods, typing.</p><p>“Keep us updated on University, eh Evan?” Carlos says softly.</p><p>Evan fidgets with her ring, “Yeah… To the point where you’ll be sick of me,”</p><p>“Girl,” Daph says seriously, looking directly into Evan’s eyes, “Never gonna happen,”</p><p>Evan smiles shyly.</p><p>Daph types, <b>Twitter: @philsmacbook aka hPad</b>, along with her number into their phones.</p><p>Bennie smiles and tilts her head to the side, “Hey, Daph... Why ‘hPad’?”</p><p>Daph laughs heavily, “Oh it’s a little family joke… Just my name backward…”</p><p>“Ah, what a shame!” Evan exclaims, “You’ve got the perfect phannie name! The first two letters of Dan and Phil! ...I mean come on!”</p><p>Daph giggles.</p><p>“...Wasted potential…” Evan adds.</p><p>“Right but…” Daph says, “1, It’s a whole aesthetic, and 2, I like the anonymity of hPad! If I did ‘Daph’, I would worry that IRLs might find me. Which! -By the way- means that you will have to refer to me as ‘H’ on Twit, you hear me?” She points at each of them.</p><p>“Sure, sure,” Carlos says.</p><p>The rest nod.</p><p> </p><p>Her jaw is vibrating.</p><p>
  <em> Ahem, wot!? </em>
</p><p>In the silence, she’s only just noticed the soft chattering sound her teeth are making. That’s new… Is she cold? She doesn’t feel cold. Her fingers tingle slightly, buzzing. Is the air <em>actually </em>electric? She listens to the hum around her.</p><p>
  <em> Huh.</em>
</p><p>That idea had been just a funny joke, not a reality to her. Now, it feels undeniable. She watches as strands of Bennie’s hair float up. <em> What the hell? </em></p><p>
  <em> What’s causing that? </em>
</p><p>Daph doesn’t dwell on it much further. Instead, she focuses on the sound of their feet crunching the dead or dying plants.</p><p><em> Crunch, crush. Crunch, crush. </em> The rhythmic sound lulls her into daydreams.</p><p>
  <em> hPad… </em>
</p><p>
  <em> This… This right now... Is like how it was back then. </em>
</p><p>It’s almost funny how similar it is.</p><p>There was a void in her, once upon a time. She was alone, confused. Then… she wasn’t. It wasn’t long after she watched Basically I’m Gay that she became hPad. Phans were compassionate, willingly giving out love to everyone, and most of all, to her. She smiled and her heart squeezed. She could unapologetically squeal and nobody on Twitter would ever bat an eyelash. She could say the gayest shit, and it wouldn’t matter because she was normal. She was accepted and welcomed with open arms.</p><p>She walked around school with a completely different world in her pocket. Filled with people who were like her. Her soul belonged there. She was found. They were excited together, they were sad together. She belonged.</p><p>Honestly? She’s so grateful. She couldn’t have gone this far without that space to go to.</p><p>Bennie’s yellow dress flows like water around her moving legs. Evan studies her feet and pats her thighs. Carlos looks ahead blankly, deep in thought.</p><p>These three are those people. They are all that, and more.</p><p>
  <em> hPad… </em>
</p><p>“Hey, how did you guys discover Dan and Phil?” Daph asks, breaking the silence. The mountains are closer now, probably just 10 more minutes until they get there. They look at each other.</p><p>“Um…” Evan starts, slowing down their walking pace. “It was three years ago when I was deciding whether or not to go to Uni,” She rubs the back of her neck, “My anxiety was worse back then…” She breathes for a moment, then smiles fondly, “I searched Youtube for Uni advice and watched every video I could find, and one of them was Dan’s,” She laughs for a moment, “It was so funny, and he was so charming… And yeah, all of the good advice from that day was enough for me to just <em>do it, </em>” She looks at them, “His was the last push. I mostly have Dan to thank for all of my political science knowledge,” She grins.</p><p>“Wow,” Bennie says in awe, “That is so cool! I am proud of you!”</p><p>“Me too! Thank you, Dan!” Daph prays to the sky.</p><p>“That’s amazing, Evan,” Carlos smiles.</p><p>“You are going to change the world in ways we could not believe,” Bennie says.</p><p>Daph’s mind sparks, and they all smile at the quote.</p><p>“Thanks, Bennie. That means the world to me,” Evan says sincerely, and maybe even teary-eyed. “What about you?”</p><p>Bennie smiles, “Well 5 years years ago, when I was 12, is when I got really into video games. Then, when I was 13, my friend played Undertale!” Bennie smiles excitedly, “It looked really cool, and I wanted to play it but my parents would not get it for me, so I watched Dan and Phil play… I liked them a lot, so I watched their other stuff on the gaming channel… And even when the Undertale series stopped, I kept watching,” She smiles bashfully.</p><p>“Relatable,” Daph laughs, “The serotonin is so addicting,”</p><p>“What about you, Daph?” Evan asks.</p><p>Daph barks out a laugh, “Do you want the long version or the short version?”</p><p>“Short I guess…” Carlos says, “You can tell us the full thing later,”</p><p>“Okay,” Daph agrees. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. “Well, I had a really shitty summer in 2019.” Feelings of confusion and isolation rise like a tidal wave and threaten to drown her. <em> Sara… </em></p><p>“I kinda fell out with a friend, and then I realized I had a crush on her, and I basically had a sexuality and existential crisis, at the <em>same </em>time,” She laughs even though she’s not really in a place where she can look back and think it’s funny. But... she just feels a little awkward. “Then, in like, August or September or something, I got the ‘Generations React to Coming Out Videos’ in my recommended and I watched it,” She glances at them, “You know how impactful Dan’s video is… Even the shortened version was…” Her mouth gapes open, struggling to find words, “...Awe-inspiring,” She finally says, and studies her dirty shoes, “Then I watched the full thing and it was just… so… Freeing! Because, like, here was this 27-year-old, who I could relate to so deeply... And knowing his words were out there, describing what I felt... About sexuality, about existential crises, about… fucking cringe attacks! Well, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before… And yeah… That helped me a lot. That was how I discovered them,” She finishes.</p><p>Carlos is the earliest to say something. “Wow,” His voice cracks for the first time, “Yeah, me too… Me too,”</p><p>“I’m so happy for you,” Evan says with tears in her eyes. When did that happen? Did Daph cause that?!</p><p>Bennie walks up to Daph, stopping the group's pace. They look at each other for a moment, until Bennie tackles Daph in a hug, “You are so valid,” Bennie says to her.</p><p>Inexplicably, water fills Daph’s eyes. She’s so happy. She’s <em>so beyond </em>happy. There’s never been anyone quite like these three who would understand this part of her. She could try to explain it to IRLs, but no one would get it as a phannie would.</p><p>“Dan’s video was truly art, wasn’t it?” Carlos says.</p><p>“Truly,” The three girls agree, and the four start walking again.</p><p>After a pause, Bennie says, “And you, Carlos?”</p><p>He looks at them, “Well, a lot of my story is the same as Daph’s, at least on an emotional level… I was really struggling with my sexuality and because I grew up in a blindly religious family, and… I um… really, deeply hating myself for being attracted to men,” He pauses, “Yeah it was like Phil's edge of a man’s nipple’ thing!” He cracks a smile then, and chuckles. Daph is glad that he can laugh about it now, “...Then I saw Dan’s video the day it was trending… I felt the same like, harmony stuff,” He looks at Daph, “And it helped me accept myself… Then so did Phil. Not overnight, but yeah. I don’t think I could have done that without them,” Carlos coughs and stays silent for a moment, “Yeah to make a long story short. I was really scared to come out but I ‘took one tiny, impossible step at a time’… Not everyone knows yet, but for the people that do, I got the courage to come out because of Dan and Phil… I will forever be grateful for that…”</p><p>Daph’s eyes fill with yet more tears, and she smiles because she <em>gets </em>it. Silently, she matches his stride and leans against his side in a half-hug. “You’re so brave,” She says.</p><p>Evan hugs his other side, “I’m so happy Dan and Phil was <em>that </em>for you. I’m proud of you,” Evan looks up at him with honest serenity.</p><p>Carlos wraps his arms around both of them in answer.</p><p>“You all are so amazing and strong,” Bennie says to them, joining the hug. They stop there and sway for a few minutes.</p><p>“They helped me too, not as much as you guys, but they helped me <em>want </em>to get help,” Evan says.</p><p>"Hey..." Carlos says unapprovingly.</p><p>Daph thinks for a moment. Then, “The help Dan and Phil gave you is just as valid as ours. Wanting help is so important,” She says to Evan.</p><p>"Exactly," Carlos agrees.</p><p>“Right… Yeah,” Evan responds.</p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>“Okay,”</p><p>They break out of the hug then, resuming their trek to the mountain. Even so, it doesn’t feel like they’re any farther apart. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maybe things should feel awkward or uncomfortable. They’ve just been really vulnerable! But… nope! Not really. </p><p>They chat about this and that as Daph watches the mountains grow taller, the groups of people become far and few. She takes a moment to herself and just… <em>feels</em>.</p><p>She’s so overwhelmingly understood. Seen in a way she has never felt by real-life people before. Not just that, but she understands them. She knows them now. They’re <em>not </em>strangers! Dan and Phil have had as big of an impact on their lives as they did on hers. This realization might not be as important to them as it is to her, but well, Daph had been craving it forever. She can’t believe she found it. In the weirdest circumstances, yes, but she’s still so grateful. Discovering Dan and Phil led her to this moment of euphoria.</p><p>She feels, dare she think it, <em> loved. </em> And maybe that’s stupid, but she can’t make herself <em>not </em>feel that.</p><p>Do they feel that too?</p><p>“Hey, guys…” Daph says, “I know this is a pretty clingy thing to say to people I just met but--”</p><p>Evan stops in her tracks, gaze focused on something in the distance, “HOLY SHIT!”</p><p>Daph’s stomach drops and adrenaline pumps through her veins. Frantically, she looks around at the area, “What?! What’s wrong?” She asks.</p><p>“I THINK I SEE DAN AND PHIL,” Evan whisper-shouts.</p><p>“WHAT?!” Carlos and Daph below at the same time.</p><p>“WHERE!?” Bennie squeals.</p><p>“Shhhhh! Keep your voice down!” Evan says, then subtly points at the base of the hill where there’s a small crowd, “Over there!”</p><p>Daph can’t see shit, “Curse being short!”</p><p>“I can’t see anything, either, and I’m the tallest,” Carlos says.</p><p>“Yeah hahaaaa… I can’t see them anymore, so now I’m not sure... Let’s get closer,” Evan says.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahhhh! I’m positively dying of sweetness. *insert watery-eyed emoji* But don’t get used to it.<br/>Also, why did I laugh when Carlos said his apartment might be on fire? There’s nothing funny about that!<br/>Anyway, I hereby announce a petition to rename the phanbase to “daphies” (joking, not joking. Lmao)</p><p>How did you guys discover dnp?<br/>“With the lives that we have, we can do anything we’ve dreamed of,”</p><p>Thanks for reading,<br/>Dia &lt;3</p><p>p.s. Comments would be appreciated! I genuinely want to know what you think :)<br/>(I’ll take any feedback. Good or bad.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>